GUAVA PASTRIES (PASTELILLOS); THE EASIEST PASTRY TO MAKE IN MINUTES, JUST LIKE A PASTRY CHEF! SMILE.1/26/2018 “Pastelillos” are easy to make, you can give them away to good friends, bring to a party or just make them for your family minutes before or after dinner, with a nice cup of cappuccino or espresso. Not only that, they look amazing and tastes delicious. Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: Once thawed, prep and cook is about 15 minutes Approximate Cost: $3.15 or $1.58 per serving Difficulty Level: X Easy ____ Intermediate ____ Advanced Servings: 5 (at 3 per plate) Ingredients 1 sheet of Puff Pastry, (half way thawed at room temperature) ($2.35) ¼ piece of Guava Paste (.50) Pam Cooking Spray (for the baking mold) (.15) Powdered sugar to sprinkle over the pastry once is done (.15) Directions Pre-heat the oven at 400 degrees. Slice the guava and cut in 1 ½ pieces. Set aside. Thaw one of the pastry sheet according to package directions. (They come folded, so open the sides, you will have 3 strips. Cut each in 3 pieces and then cut across to get triangles.) Spray the baking mold with Pam, place on the mold and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Carefully, open the triangles, stuff with guava pieces, close and sprinkle with powdered sugar. DONE! When I am craving dessert badly, I also add to the slice of guava a slice of cream cheese sprinkled with a bit of sugar. Both melt in the pastry and in your mouth!
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Yes, I am not Julia Child, just a humble home cook using my experience to simplify complicated recipes and add my own twist to them. I adore Julia; however, I can’t spend hours and hours, even overnight to make this dish. Therefore, my version takes way less hours (pressure cooking baby) and tastes great. Julia must be so upset with me, smile, Oh Well, I still adore her! Now, don’t get me wrong though, when I have time and company coming over, I make Julia’ clasic recipe but for now it’s my speedy version, smile. WARNING: USE YOUR PRESSURE COOKER ACCORDING TO THE MANUFAFTURER DIRECTIONS. Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 30 to 45 minutes Approximate Cost: $19.91 or $3.32 per serving Difficulty Level: X Easy ____ Intermediate ____ Advanced Servings: 6 med size servings (or 4 large size servings) Ingredients 1 lb. beef for stew meat cut in 1” pieces ($4.97/lb.) 1 lb. pork tenderloin, cleaned and cut in cubes (or any other tender pork cut) ($5.00) ¼ cup of Angie’s Basting oil (see my link below) to season & sear the meat ($1.55) 2 tbsp. Angie’s Dried Seasonings (see my link below) (.35) ½ bag organic rainbow carrots, peeled and cut at an angle ($1.40) 3 med size Idaho potatoes ($1.30) 1 large onion, chopped (I did not use the traditional frozen pearl onions) (.40) 5 cloves of garlic (chopped) (.30) 1 can of Goya garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (.99) ¼ cup of tomato sauce (.35) 1 cube of Molido/Sofrito (.35) 1 cup beef broth (.65) 1 cup red wine ($2.00) 2 bay leaves (.15) ½ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped for garnish (.15) Directions Clean and cut the meats, place them in a bowl and add my basting oil and dried Seasonings. Toss until it is evenly coated. Set aside for about 30 minutes. When ready to cook, add the meats to the pressure cooker to brown a bit. Add the chopped onion/garlic to the pot and cook until transparent and light golden. Add the red wine and cook until it evaporates a little. (about 4-5 minutes.) Add chickpeas, carrots, potatoes, tomato sauce, Molido/Sofrito, beef broth and bay leaves. Stir. Now is time to put the lid on the pressure cooker and cook on med-high for 30 to 40 minutes. When ready to serve garnish with parsley. Angie’s Dry Seasonings: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings Angie’s Basting Oil: www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil Soup is always welcome in my home regardless of the weather. It is something that makes you feel warm and cozy time and time again. This soup was made with beef and Goya frozen Tostones; however, I can make soup with any protein and veggies I have available at the time and they always turn out fine. So, welcome soups to your home and complement them with crostini’s, or toasted garlic bread, anything will go just great! Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 45 to an hour (only because you must soften the beans) Approximate Cost: $10.19 or $3.40 per serving Difficulty Level: X Easy ____ Intermediate ____ Advanced Servings: 3 Ingredients 1 cup of beef for stew cut in cubes (2.75) 1 (1.5 lb.) bag of dry pinto beans (softened) (.99) 3 stalks of chopped celery (.30) 1 large chopped onion (.40) 8 cloves of garlic (.40) 3 cups of organic beef broth ($1.90) 2 tbsp. olive oil (.65) 1 tbsp. Adobo (.30) 2 cubes of sofrito/Molido (if you don’t have it, use ¼ c. chop cilantro, peppers onion) (.50) 3 large Goya frozen Tostones, each cut in ½ (.75) 1 Avocado ($1.25) Directions Hand sort and rinse the dry beans, add water to cover them at least 3” over, bring them to a boil for about 5 minutes, turn the heat off, cover and let them rest overnight. Clean and season the beef with Adobo and 1 tbsp. olive oil. Refrigerate until use. Chop onion, garlic, and celery. Refrigerate. Next day, drain the beans water, rinse again and add fresh water and either follow the package directions to get them softer faster or use my pressure cooker method to get them ready in about 15 minutes. (You will be using about 2 to 3 cups of cooked softened beans; therefore, freeze any leftover beans for another meal. Now you are ready to make the soup. In a medium size pot, (I used my pressure cooker,) sauté all the chopped veggies in 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Add the beef and brown briefly. Add the broth, Molido, Tostones and beans. Cover the pressure cooker and cook in medium for about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on your cooker. When done, follow the manufacturer instructions to open and serve with a nice slice of avocado with salt and pepper to taste. Oh, and it won’t hurt if you top it with hot sauce! It doesn’t take much time or money to make a simple wholesome dinner. I prefer to use the 99% fat free ground turkey, since I can add olive oil as fat and a bit or organic broth to make my meatballs tender. What’s left? Make a salad and of course, slice 1 avocado. Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: Under 30 minutes Approximate Cost: $6.04 or $2.01 per serving Difficulty Level: X Easy ____ Intermediate ____ Advanced Servings: 3 Ingredients ½ lb. 99% fat free ground turkey breast (@$3.99/lb.) = $1.99 2 tsps. dry minced garlic (.30) 1 tbsp. lemon Pepper (.30) ½ box of whole grain pasta ($1.10) 2 tbsp. olive oil (.45) ¾ cups beef broth ($1.20) Assorted herbs, chopped (.40) 2 tsps. Capers, drained (.30) Directions Season the turkey with Lemon Pepper, dried minced garlic, a handful of chopped herbs and 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Make the meatballs and then refrigerate. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. While the pasta cooks, sauté the turkey balls in olive oil and cook until golden brown. Add the beef broth and 1 tsp. of minced garlic, stir. Drain the pasta, reserve about a cup of the water, and add the drained pasta to the beef broth and meatballs skillet. Add the drained capers and allow the sauce to reduce and thickens a bit. (This dish is not dry its very moist.) Done, you are now ready to serve! My sweet Mara did it again! I am so proud of all my granddaughters, they all cook and bake, even my 10-year old darling Sienna. This time; however, Mara tried a recipe listed in the back of a “ginormous” bag of M&M’s that she got as a birthday gift from a friend. I tell you this, I wish that blog-recipes comes with an app for taste and smell, because these cookies were dangerously amazing and hard to stop at eating just one. So, I am sorry, maybe next time the app will be available to you, smile. Approximate Prep (15) Refrigerate (1 hour) Baking Time 10-15 minutes Approximate Cost: $8.06 or .32 cents per cookie Difficulty Level: X Easy ____ Intermediate ____ Advanced Servings: 25 cookies Ingredients (I copy the recipe from the back of the M&M bag) 2 sticks of unsalted butter ($1.25) 2/3 cups brown sugar (.50) 2/3 cups white sugar (.50) 1 egg (.16) 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract ($2.00) 2 cups of all-purpose flour ($1.50) 1 ¼ cup baking soda (.15) 1 tsp. salt 1 ¾ cups of M&M chocolate candies ($2.00) Directions In a large bowl, cream butter, both sugars, mix well and add the eggs and mix to combine. Then add the vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add these ingredients into the butter mixture bowl and mix until combined. Fold the M&M and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour or overnight. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto a lightly greased baking pan about 2” apart. Preheat oven at 350 degrees and bake for about 8-10 minutes for chewy or 12-14 for crispy cookies. Enjoy these amazing cookies, you will make them again, over and over. The timeframe required to call, order and deliver take out to your home, will be longer than the time spend in your kitchen cooking it. This dish could be done in 15 minutes and it will be healthier and inexpensive. Give it a try. Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 20 to 25 minutes Approximate Cost: $13.75 or 4.59 per serving Difficulty Level: X Easy ____ Intermediate ____ Advanced Servings: 3 Ingredients Chicken tenders (9 to 10 tenders) ($7.20) 2 cups fresh Broccoli ($1.90) 1 Onion (.35) 1 cup chopped Baby Bela Mushrooms ($1.45) 2 tbsp. olive oil (.70) 1 tbsp. Angie’s Dried Seasonings (see my link below) (.30) Soy Sauce and Sesame Oil to taste per plate (.60) To cook the rice: 2 cups of parboiled long grain rice ($1.25) 3 ½ cups of water and salt to taste. (0) Directions Season the tenders with 1 tbsp. olive oil and Angie’s Dried Seasonings. Cook the rice by adding the water to a med size pan. Bring it to a boil, add salt to taste, and rice, stir, cover, bring the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Chop the mushrooms, broccoli and onions. Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil to a skillet and sauté the broccoli and onions. Add the chopped mushrooms on the side and cook all until tender. Mix all well. Remove from skillet and add the chicken tenders, cook until golden brown. Your tenders stir fry meal is done. Now, you can put it on top of white rice or thin pasta. I did not use either since I wanted to cut a bit on carbs, however, I am including it in this recipe. Enjoy! My Links: Angie’s Dry Seasonings: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings Full circle. I taught my twin daughters how to cook and today Suzy taught me how to make an advanced dessert, and I was just an observer. I am such a proud mama, my three kids can cook a storm, smile. I call this an occasional dessert to enjoy because it’s so rich in ingredients and furthermore, not very simple to make. I think she got the recipe from the internet. When you figure out the mascarpone, chocolate, heavy whipping cream, etc., you know that this is not for the faint of hearts. She worked so hard making it, but it was 100% worth it. My advice to you? Eat it in moderation and have a good number of people ready to eat it all, so you don’t have left overs to eat the next day. LOL! Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 45 minutes’ plus Approximate Cost: $14.74 or $1.85 per serving Difficulty Level: __X__ Advanced Servings: 8 (The recipe makes a 9″ x 13″ 3-layer tiramisu) Ingredients 2 large egg (.32) 2 large egg yolk (.32) 12 tbsp. granulated white sugar (.30) 1 tub good quality mascarpone cheese (BelGioioso brand 8 oz. at Wegman’s = $4.99) 1 cup heavy whipping cream (.99) 4 tbsp. Kahlua (coffee liqueur) ($1.50) 1 ½ cup hot espresso (or strong coffee) $1.00) 33 approx. lady fingers (Italian cookies, Stella D’oro, 28 oz. $2.54)) 1 bar of chocolate (76 to 80% cocoa) $2.78 pinch of salt Directions Part 1: Lightly spray the 9″ x 13″ baking dish with vegetable cooking spray and set aside. Part 2: (Note: This recipe uses raw eggs. Consuming raw eggs may put you at risk of salmonella or other food-borne illnesses. (Only use fresh and properly refrigerated eggs.) That’s what I do and never had a problem. Place the eggs, the egg yolks, and 8 tbsp. of the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk the mixture at high speed until you nearly have soft peaks and the mixture forms a good ribbon (i.e. it forms a ribbon on the surface of the mixture if you use the whisk attachment to drizzle some over the rest). Then, using medium speed, whisk in the mascarpone cheese followed by 2tbsp. of Kahlua. Part 3: Using a separate stand mixer bowl, use the whisk attachment at the highest speed to whip the heavy cream with 2 tbsp. of the sugar and a small pinch of salt until you have hard peaks. Do not overbeat or you will start to get butter. Then gently stir the whipped cream into the egg and mascarpone mixture until smooth and well combined. Part 4 (Assembly): Stir 2 tbsp. of Kahlua into the warm cup of espresso or strong coffee and pour this into a shallow dish so that it is no deeper than half the thickness of a lady finger. Working with one lady finger at a time, dip one side of the biscuit into the espresso mixture, instantly flip the lady finger over so that the other side has been dipped into the espresso mixture, and then instantly remove the lady finger. You must work very quickly or the lady fingers will be soggy. Place the lady finger on the bottom of your pan and repeat this until you have completely covered the bottom of your pan with a single layer of espresso-dipped lady fingers. You can use additional lady fingers to fill any gaps if desired. Use a rubber spatula to spread 1/3 of the creamy filling evenly over the bottom layer of lady fingers. Repeat the process of dipping the lady fingers into the espresso and arrange them until you have a second layer of lady fingers (these should cover the creamy filling). Then use the spatula to spread the remaining filling over these lady fingers. Cover with plastic saran wrap and chill in the refrigerator preferably 24 hours. Simply grate chocolate (as much as you’d like) over the top and serve. This meal only takes 20 minutes to make. Once you season the tenderloin and chop the mushrooms, what’s left to do is to sauté the mushrooms, sear the tenderloins and microwave the plantains. Done. Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 20 minutes Approximate Cost: $9.65 or $4.83 per serving Difficulty Level: X Easy ____ Intermediate ____ Advanced Servings: 2 Ingredients 5 med size pork tenderloin steaks ($4.00) ¼ cup Angie’s Basting Oil (or the one of your choice) (See my link below) ($1.25) 1 tbsp. Angie’s Dry Seasoning (or the one of your choice) (See my link below) (.35) 2-Goya Frozen Ripe Plantains (cut them across) ($1.35) 2 cups of mushrooms sliced (your choice) ($1.45) 1-Avocado ($1.25) Directions Clean and slice the Baby Bella mushroom, set aside. Clean, cut and season the tenderloin with Angie’s Basting Oil and Angie’s Dry Seasoning, Refrigerate. Add 1 tbsp. of basting oil to a skillet and sauté the mushrooms until golden and tender, remove from skillet and set aside. Add what’s left of basting oil to the skillet and sear the tenderloins. Meantime, while they sear just microwave the "cooked ripen plantains" according to the box directions. Slice the avocado. Done Yes, is getting so cold! “Translation” it’s soup season friends, let’s make tons of soup. I just started the season with my northern beans, ground chicken and shitake mushrooms soup. The shitake is so meaty that makes you believe you are eating chicken, smile… A simple yet fulfilling soup expected to warm up my bones, and as I expected it did! Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 30 minutes Approximate Cost: $9.10 or $3.03 per serving Difficulty Level: X Easy ____ Intermediate ____ Advanced Servings: 3 Ingredients ½ lb. ground chicken ($2.50) 1 tbsp. Adobo (.30) 2 tsp. Olive oil (.70) 1 tsp. Dried parsley (.25) 1 tsp. Paprika (.20) 1 cup Dried Shitake mushrooms, cut into large pieces ($2.00) 1 can of Northern beans (drained and rinsed) ($1.35) 2 cup Organic chicken stock ($1.25) 2 tsps. hot sauce (.20) ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley to garnish (.35) Directions Warm up the chicken stock briefly, add the mushrooms and let them soak for about 15 minutes. Set aside. Season the chicken with Adobo, (or the seasoning of your choice)1 tsp. olive oil, paprika and dried parsley. Set aside. Chop the parsley, drain and rinse the beans, set aside. In a saucepan, add 1 tsp. of olive oil, break with a spoon and cook the chicken briefly, just half way through. Add the mushrooms with the chicken stock, reduce the heat to low and cook until some of the stock is reduced, so that the flavors have time to concentrate. To serve, sprinkle some hot sauce and chopped parsley into each plate. Enjoy. This is the kind of dinner that we all want to have to celebrate happiness, life, love, birthdays, you name it, any excuse you can come up with to eat this dish. Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 30 minutes Approximate Cost: $30.40 or $15.20 per serving Difficulty Level: __X__ Intermediate Servings: 2 Ingredients for the Mango Salsa ($3.10) 1 mango (.75) 1 stalk of chopped celery, top included (.10) ¼ chopped red onion (.25) ½ cup of chopped Italian parsley (.15) 4 diced baby cucumbers ($1.00) 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (.35) ½ tsp. lemon pepper (.10) 1 ½ tbsp. olive oil (.40) ½ Jalapeño to garnish Directions for the Mango Salsa Rinse and rub the mango, pat dry, peel and dice in ½ to 1-inch size. Chop the onion, cucumber, celery, parsley and add to a non-reactive bowl. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, lemon pepper and stir. Refrigerate until serving. Ingredients for Ahi Tuna, Shrimp & Asparagus ($27.30) 2 Ahi tuna steaks ($15.25) 6 Jumbo Shrimp ($8.70) 1 tsp. Lemon pepper (.20) Parsley flakes (.20 1 ½ tbsp. Angie’s Basting Oil (or the oil of your choice) (.45) 12 Asparagus spears ($2.50) Directions for Ahi Tuna, Shrimp & Asparagus In a saucepan with lightly salted water, cook the asparagus until tender, under 5 minutes. Pat dry the tuna and clean the shrimp. Season both with 1 tbsp. basting oil, 1 tsp. Lemon pepper and parsley flakes to taste. In a skillet with ½ tbsp. of basting oil, sauté the shrimp just until lightly pink but not totally cooked. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet, sauté the tuna filet few minutes on each side, remove and let them rest for about 3-5 minutes. Do not overcook, they tuna filet should be medium rare. Your Ahi tuna, shrimp, asparagus and salsa are ready to plate. Enjoy. My Link: Angie’s Basting Oil: www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil |
ABOUT THE AuthorI am a blogger, a photographer, a jewelry designer, a gourmet cook, and a recipe book writer. I am also a flea market flipper, an avid gardener, an interior/ outdoors designer, an avid golfer and traveler. Categories |